Dr Daniel Weiss & Dr Julia Snyder's research project challenging assumptions about religious texts and acts of violence is recognised at Vice-Chancellor's Research & Impact Engagement Awards 2019
Representatives of CIP attended an awards ceremony recognising excellence in research, impact and engagement, hosted by the University of Cambridge's Vice Chancellor.
'Scripture & Violence' is a two-year collaborative research project focusing on challenging prevalent contemporary assumptions about the relationship between scriptural texts and real-world violence, in relation to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Questioning whether, for example, the Qur’an actually does play a major role in inspiring Muslim terrorism. Following two international conferences, 'Scripture & Violence' will culminate in an edited volume with Routledge (to be published in 2020), that is intended to be both academically rigorous and accessible to a non-academic readership.
The project was planned from the start with collaboration in mind – both in terms of the research itself and in relation to impact. The two main academic collaborators (Dr Daniel Weiss and Dr Julia Snyder) came to the project from different countries, different academic fields, different institutions, and different religious backgrounds. Other researchers who took part in the project came from Pakistan, Israel, and the US - all nations where religion plays a greater role in public discourse.
As well as academic researchers, the conferences were attended by representatives of non-academic stakeholder organisations - such as Saleem Seedat (imam at Blackburn College and a member of the Scotland Yard Counter-Terrorism Advisory Board), and Nadiya Takolia (who coordinates public interfaith dialogue sessions involving scriptural texts for the Rose Castle Foundation).
Partner organisations (Rose Castle Foundation, Coexist House and Faith in Leadership) developed workshops for UK faith leaders and other interested individuals, using the research as a platform for discussing how participants could facilitate discussion of these issues in their own local contexts. These sessions fed back into the final versions of the research essays in the edited volume, tailoring the writing to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.
The research was also the theme for well-attended and highly praised public events at the LSE Faith Centre and Greenbelt Festival.